Mayor Coleen J. Seng today announced that local agencies serving the homeless
have been awarded $1,525,030 million in federal grants. The U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awards “Continuum of Care” grants through a
competitive process. The grants provide permanent and transitional housing as
well as job training, health care, mental health counseling, substance abuse
treatment and child care.

“The latest homeless survey indicates that there are more than 800 homeless
people in our community,” said Mayor Seng. “I commend the members of the
Lincoln-Lancaster County Homeless Coalition for achieving the highest score in
the state on these competitive grants. Because of their hard work, this community
is able to do more to meet the needs of our homeless population.”

A new grant was awarded this year to a partnership between CenterPointe Inc.
and the City of Lincoln for the Shelter Plus Care project. CenterPointe will
administer the $89,760 grant to provide four units of permanent housing for
chronically homeless individuals with serious mental illness or substance abuse
disorders.

All other grants received by Lincoln agencies are renewals:

CenterPointe, Inc. - $187,612 for its GlidePATH Transitional Housing Project
(22 beds); and $443,273 for its Adult and Youth Residential Program (25 beds).

Saint Monica’s - $140,456 for the Women in Transition program, which
provides transitional housing and services for 13 women and their children.

CEDARS Youth Services - $130,707 for the New Futures project which provides
transitional housing for four homeless pregnant and parenting teen-agers and
their children.

Catholic Social Services - $93,683 for the Transitions project, which
serves seven families.

The local agencies that provide services to those in need are members of the
Lincoln Lancaster County Homeless Coalition, founded in the mid-1980s. The Coalition
formed a Continuum of Care Planning and Evaluation Committee in 1996 to submit
the application for federal funds, to identify service gaps, to coordinate the
“Point in Time Count” of the homeless and to conduct peer review of service providers.

The total in grants awarded to Nebraska agencies is $4.4 million. Details on
the HUD grants can be found here.